


Downworld Trick-or-Treating

by Fluxx



Series: The Spook Cruise, 2017 [11]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff, Halloween, M/M, Trick or Treating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-21
Updated: 2017-10-21
Packaged: 2019-01-21 00:47:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12445683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fluxx/pseuds/Fluxx
Summary: All Raphael wants to do is enjoy a night in with Meliorn, forcing the Seelie Knight to watch Halloween movies. However, their evening is periodically interrupted by incessant children ringing his doorbell. Meliorn eventually figures out what the hubbub is, and finds himself enjoying Raphael's misery rather than the other way around.Prompt response for The Spook Cruise, 2017:Meliorn/Raphael + trick-or-treating.Submit a prompt for The Spook Cruise!





	Downworld Trick-or-Treating

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Magnusismyrock](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magnusismyrock/gifts).



Meliorn eyed the television, one brow raised. His fingertips idly circled through a shallow bowl of sunflower seeds set upon the side table, occasionally selecting a single victim and placing it upon his pointed, snake-like tongue. Something between boredom and irritation steadily grew by the minute, pursing his lips into a tight, thin line.

Beside him, Raphael had started watching him more than he was watching the movie. He, of course, didn’t have any snack to occupy him, instead supporting a slender wine glass between equally elegant fingers. He swirled the glass, and the dark, crimson blood within, and casually brought the drink to his lips, partaking of a minuscule sip - just enough to moisten his tongue, more because it gave him something to do than because he felt the thirst.

Finally, an aggravated sigh escaped his companion. “This is absurd. Who would carve a door into the side of a tree? And then fashion it with a golden knob? And Jack just…  _wandered_  there? Certainly that means others can happen upon this place as well? But then why would they need these ridiculous doors at all? And furthermore—”

Raphael’s sharp laugh cut through Meliorn’s tirade, his lips pulled into a wide, toothy snicker. “I think that’s a new record, my friend. I’m impressed you made it this far.”

Meliorn turned to him with a blank stare. “I fail to see how you can find this amusing.”

“That’s kind of the point,” Raphael remarked. He placed his glass upon his own side table, then leaned forward to retrieve the remote from the low coffee table before them. “What do you want to try next?” he asked, though he imagined Meliorn wouldn’t have anything helpful to offer on the subject. He stopped and ejected the DVD, then stalked soundlessly over to the entertainment center to pluck the disc lightly from the slot. As he returned the movie to its case, his eyes glazed over his collection, drifting through title after title with only distant interest. “Perhaps we’ll have better luck with horror? I bet you’d probably enjoy SAW - it’s about a person playing games with people.”

“Games?” Meliorn asked with piqued interest. “And you say it is horror. I take this to mean the games are...  _particular_  in nature?”

Raphael turned a wicked grin over his shoulder. “Yeah. They—”

The crisp ring of his doorbell sounded throughout the apartment, bringing Raphael to regard his door with a scowl. “Who the hell... ?” he muttered, slipping  _The Nightmare Before Christmas_  back in place amid his collection. He flickered across his apartment between blinks of the eye and peered through the peep-hole, one hand lain delicately upon the knob.

When Raphael still hadn’t said anything after a few moments, Meliorn asked, more out of boredom than genuine interest, “...Well? Who is it?”

“Some woman,” Raphael reported, turning away from the door and stalking languidly back to his DVD collection. “Had a couple of costumed brats with her.”

“Costumed?” Meliorn asked with a tilt of his head. “How peculiar.”

“Yeah. One was wrapped head-to-toe in toilet paper, like a mummy I suppose, and the other was wearing a black cape and fake vampire teeth.”

At that, Meliorn scoffed. “Someone looking to play a practical joke, perhaps?”

Before Raphael could reply, his doorbell rang again, sending him into a vile snarl. “Again?” he growled, whirling and snapping back over to the door. This time, he simply yanked it open without looking, fully intent on yelling at whoever—

“Trick or treat!!!”

Raphael confusedly blinked at his young visitors, wholly dumbfounded. They were different from the ones before, but likewise dressed in odd garbs. He couldn’t  _quite_  identify them, but he recognized them as the two starring girls from some kid’s movie that came out recently. How couldn’t he? The advertising was absolutely  _everywhere_. Snowy? No, it started with an “F”... Frosted?

“Um... Trick or treat?” one of the girls awkwardly repeated.

He blinked and glared down at her. “I don’t want either,” he snapped, then slammed the door in their faces.

Meliorn grinned at him as he spun away from the door. “More children?” he inquired, far more interested in this occurrence than whatever stupid films Raphael thought to force upon him.

“Yeah. Two girls this time, dressed up as the snow sisters from that movie that came out.”

After a thoughtful pause, Meliorn asked, “Perhaps you refer to  _Frozen_?”

Raphael stared at him. “How do  _you_  know what movie it was?”

His companion shrugged. “I like to be informed.”

“Yeah, particularly when it comes to Mundane children, right?” Raphael sneered.

Meliorn offered only a silent, curling smile in reply.

Predictably, Raphael’s doorbell rang again. This time, Meliorn rose to his feet in a swift and smooth motion, as though he’d been lifted by invisible strings. “Allow me to try this time?” he asked, a hand already upon Raphael’s shoulder.

Raphael glared at him. “Don’t harm them.”

“I would not dream of such a thing,” Meliorn chuckled as he approached the door.

“Yeah, because you don’t  _dream_  about it, you  _do_  it!”

Without a reply, Meliorn drew open Raphael’s door.

“Trick or treat!!!” chorused a handful of voices from the hall.

Meliorn’s dark eyes gleamed ominously down upon the cluster of bright, round faces. They came in every shape and color, some painted and some masked, but all of them were equally eager and innocent. Meliorn’s lips twisted into a cruel smile as he purred, “Trick.”

Their faces fell into a confused still. “...What?” one of them finally murmured, a hushed unease rustling through the rest.

Suddenly, Raphael yanked Meliorn away from the door and hissed in his stead, “Go away!” Before the children could reply, he slammed his door shut.

Meliorn pouted. “Why must you ruin my fun?”

“I don’t enjoy being periodically bothered by children - nor the idea of  _you_  greeting them,” he quickly added when he saw Meliorn’s lips part to reply. “Why do they keep ringing my door bell?”

A smile crossed Meliorn’s lips, his head thoughtfully tilting. “Raphael, my friend... This is your first year renting this apartment, correct?”

“Yeah,” Raphael muttered, suspiciously eyeing the Seelie. “Why?”

“I imagine the Hotel DuMort never received much in the way of Mundane visitors.”

Raphael scoffed. “Of course not. As far as the Mundanes know, the place is still under heavy construction.”

“I have heard of an intriguing tradition among Mundane children,” Meliorn airily remarked, tilting his head back and tapping his chin.

“Somehow, I’m not surprised.” His doorbell rang again, and he grabbed Meliorn by the wrist before he could open the door. “ _Don’t_. We’re going to ignore those stupid twerps, you understand?”

Meliorn glowered at him, but nonetheless continued, “One of the more intriguing traditions occurs every year on the thirty-first of October. I believe it is specific to this country, however - perhaps a few others, I am not entirely sure.”

“Something to do with Halloween?” Raphael queried. “I’ve never paid much attention to the holiday, to be honest. A bunch of Mundanes embracing some kind of momentary obsession with the Shadow World and its creatures.”

The observation brought an amused laughed through Meliorn’s lips. “In any case, apparently it is rather central to the holiday for children to dress up and visit their neighbors door-to-door. They call it ‘trick-or-treating,’ I believe.”

“You couldn’t have explained that earlier?” Raphael grumbled.

“I have never witnessed it before, only heard of it. I wanted to be sure before I said anything about it, lest you think me mad.”

Raphael couldn’t help but peak a brow at that. “I  _already_  think you mad.” He shook his head then, turning to collapse back into his couch. “So what do we do about it? I imagine we won’t be able to enjoy any other movies while all of this is going on.” To soothe his irritation, he brought his glass of blood to his lips and treated himself to a long take of the smooth, thick liquid.

At a loss for anything better to do, Meliorn drifted back towards the couch. “Well, the Mundane response would be to gift the children with candy.”

“Suddenly I understand why a Seelie would be so interested in Halloween,” Raphael muttered with a suspicious look. “Fine. I think Isabelle left a bag of mints somewhere in the kitchen.” To Meliorn’s piqued interest, he remarked with a roll of his eyes, “For my breath.” He lifted his glass of blood in explanation.

Meliorn chuckled, then settled back into his side of the couch and returned to his bowl of sunflower seeds. As he plucked a few into his fingertips, the doorbell rang again, and his wickedly sparkling eyes slid back over to Raphael. “Well? Now is your shining moment, my friend!”

Raphael rolled his eyes. Suddenly, he was in his kitchen, setting his wine glass down upon the counter and retrieving a bag of peppermints from the cabinet. “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” he muttered. Nonetheless, he grabbed a handful of candies, then blurred across the apartment back to the front door. Candy in hand, he took a moment to steel his irritation, then opened his door, knowing precisely what sort of shrill sound would greet his ears.

“Trick or treat!!!”


End file.
